Swede

Thrifty Treasures: Les Passees Stock Exchange

 

If you are anywhere near the intersection of Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri or Mississippi between September 16 and October 29, I encourage you to go to the charity consignment store Les Passees Stock Exchange located in Collierville, TN on Shelby Drive immediately behind the Avenue mall. You can read about it HERE -- all about how to consign your items and how they support childrens' charities.  All the women who run this consignment store are volunteers and they do tremendous work. It is only open for six weeks so there is urgency - when you see something you like you had better grab it.  They consign mostly items for the home -- furniture, antiques, glassware, jewelry, china, silver and even fur coats.

I thought I would share today a few items that I purchased this year. I am linking up to Southern Hospitality's blog feature Thrifty Treasures on Monday.

 
You can see all the links on Monday, September 26th on the Southern Hospitality blog HERE.

Here is my greatest bargain.  Handmade porcelain peapods by Pamela Tidwell of Vieuxtemps in Georgia.  I have seen her fabulous porcelain flowers and vegetables for years but they were out of my price range. I saw this one in the front jewelry case and asked to see it.  I knew immediately what it was as I always loved the peapods. The volunteer took it out of the case and I could find no breaks, cracks or damage to the piece. When I looked at the price, there was no question that I was going to be the new owner of the peapods.

 
I knew these were in the $300+ price range so I went home and looked online at Vieuxtemps website and it was $329. You can see her other fabulous works HERE.  I would love someday to have her potted flowers.

 
Here is the backside which sealed the deal. I joked with my friends that this must have been a gift from somebody's X-husband as certainly everybody knows how to Google to find out what it was. Crazy price!!

 
Here is my next bargain. A fitted boxed set of sterling and mother of pearl handled knives in perfect condition made in England.  These will go great with my other MOP handled pieces in my collection for tablescaping.

Below are a few more pieces that made their way into my cart. I won't show every item, but I think you will like my $5 finds.

 
Hand painted German pedestal 10" cake stand in mint condition. Great fall colors to display my pear, peach and guava Apple Annie's fruit pieces.

 
Mint condition lattice edge milk glass bowl.

 
And its white partner, a pedestaled bowl for $5. Sorry, I already removed the sticky tag before I took this photo.

 
Mint condition Waterford decanter for $65.

 
Carnival glass footed compote.

 
Handpainted platter.

 
Italian porcelain cupid pedestal bowl at 10" high for $20. No broken tips on the flowers - perfect condition.

I'll show one more.

 
These antique stoppered bottles for $12.50 each.

If you are a treasure seeker, you know how great it feels to find something wonderful for $5 or $10. You go home beaming because you also helped an organization of women assist kids who need help.

Best wishes,

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Flowers: Fall Colored Chrysanthemums

 

Today's beautiful thing is this cluster of Mums.

 
A color that seems to be a cross between gold and melon.

Summer

Photo: Swede

 

Tablescape: The Color Purple

 

This is a two-part post. First my weekly tablescape and then a note about Mr. and Mrs. Perrin.

When Fall comes, I gravitate to the color purple.  This tablescape has a quick centerpiece that anyone can do. Just pick up two potted plants from the floral section of your grocery store and put them in a basket.  How easy is that? I am striving to use less in the center of my tables. All I have added are purple mercury glass votive holders. I decided not to add candlesticks.  When searching through the cupboards, I found some dark sweet cherries made of crushed walnut shells and resin. You may remember the Kentucky company called Apple Annies who made all kinds of fruits and vegetables in the 1990s that looked very real. I don't think they are in business anymore.

 
I sprinkled some of the dark cherries on the table.  I'm still debating whether they look dorky or fun. I've had them probably 15 years and never used them, so this is their debut.  People can't resist picking them up and looking at them.

 
I am using shameless flameless candles in the purple mercury glass votives.

I love the color of purple Asters.  Potted plants are great when you are in a hurry after work to throw a table together.  I find I can always count on the floral section of the grocery stores in my town to have blooming potted plants in many different colors. The Asters will be planted in my garden after the event is over just like I do with Hydrangeas.

 
For service plates, I am using old purple transferware. I think it is fine for an appetizer but I don't use them for a meal. This pattern is called Washington Vase.  I only collect transferware which is not crazed so the search is a long one. The charger is Anna Weatherley in violet.

 
When planning a tablescape, I generally decide what color I want to use and then look in the cabinets for china in that color.  I start with what I want to put in the center of the table.  Sometimes I select objects and sometimes an idea will spark when I see flowers at market in a particular color.  I am always open for ideas.

 
Dinner plates are Wedgwood's Cuckoo bird pattern. I am pulling out the purple color of the bird's feathers and the Peony flower.  I have had this china since 1977. It was the first formal china I purchased. Even though it is English, I bought it when visiting Germany and had it shipped. The dollar conversion rate was very good at that time so it made it worth shipping. My sister helped me add to the set when she lived in England in the early 1980's.

 
The tablecloth from Williams-Sonoma is a beige damask that has paisley designs among the leaves and flowers.  I love the scale pattern on the gold plated stainless steel flatware. It is by Ricci of Italy and was on sale at Neiman-Marcus last month.

 
Close up of the napkin ring and the true color of the hemp napkins. You will notice that the napkin is more of a reddish purple. Napkins are from Williams-Sonoma and are made of 100% hemp. Silver napkin ring is in a grape cluster pattern. 

 
The stem on the left is Royal Scot's Society pattern in Home! James amethyst. I never knew the pattern name of the stem on the right as it wasn't labeled when I purchased the set about 10 years ago. The camera light makes these look more reddish purple, but in real life they are a true purple. I've noticed that lighting really changes the colors a great deal in the photos.  I wish I could shoot this in natural light.

 
I still love this little bird and try to find ways to update this china by mixing it with other patterns.

 
Even though I have cups/saucers, salad plates and serving pieces in this pattern, I've never liked the look of using all the same pattern on a table. Two pieces alike is my limit.

 
The Wedgwood Cuckoo cream soups serve butternut squash soup that my husband loves to make with Granny Smith apples and the squash I grow in the flowerbed. It is very creamy and rich so these smaller bowls work very well.

It seems all my purple items are a slightly different purple. Some have more blue undertones and some more red. No matter -- I will blend them.  

 
Dessert plate is from Royal Crown Derby in Olde Avesbury. The Wisteria flowers are the exact shade of purple but there aren't many of them in the design. Not to worry, though.  The plate will be covered up with cheesecake.

  
Dessert is a mini cheesecake with chocolate stars and raspberries on top. I resisted the temptation to use dark sweet cherries.

Casa De Perrin   

Have you seen the website of Casa de Perrin? This husband and wife team have a tabletop rental business in Los Angeles.

 
I'm sure Mr. Swede thinks I have too much tabletop stuff. Ha! Honey, I've only just begun.  What a stash! So much eye candy here.

 
Have you ever seen so much beautiful colored glassware? I see my turquoise tumblers in this photo.

I have to admit as a dish addict it would be easy to have dish envy of their cupboard contents.

 
Where do they find all the beautiful plates? Maybe when I retire I can volunteer to dust their shelves or wash dishes just to admire them all.  Take a look at their site HERE. What a fun business. I wish them much success in following their passion.

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

To see all the entries, after 9:00PM Eastern on Wednesday, go here:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Summer

Photos: Swede [except last three -  Casa De Perrin]

 

Daily Beauty: The Bug & The Bee

 

 
Daily beauty found and captured on my pink Zinnia.

Summer

Photo: Swede

 

Daily Beauty: Betty Boop Rose

 

 

 
Sweet perfection of the Betty Boop Rose is today's capture of beauty from my yard.

Summer

Photo: Swede

 

Fall Colors: Painting Peaches

 

Today's beauty captured is this bowl of peaches in my Fenton opalescent starfish carnival glass bowl with fresh branches cut from my peach tree.

 
I love the taste and the color of peaches.

Summer

Photo: Swede

 

Daily Beauty: Found in Acorns Fallen From a Tree

 

 

When you look for beauty each day, you must also see it. Walking from my car into my office, an Oak tree was giving its fall gift - acorns.  I stuffed them in my pocket to admire how big they were this season - bigger than I had remembered in past years.

 
Hundreds of people pass by this tree each week and never notice them. Do they only see them as worthless discards?  Leaf-shaped dish by Vietri.

 
How would an artist render these mighty acorns?

 
Or a glass mosaic artist?

What do the squirrels think?

I looked.  I saw.  I captured their beauty.

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Tablescape: Celebrating The Osage Orange - Maclura Pomifera

 

Each year at the end of August I look to see if the Osage Oranges are ready on the trees at the back gate to my office.  I love picking them and decorating with them.  Last year I did a post on them HERE.

This week I used them in a tablescape as part of the centerpiece.

 
I have placed limes and the Osage Oranges in two oval plates from my antique Coalport dessert service. 

 
I think this acid green color was popular before 1860.

 
The Osage Oranges last about two weeks in the house, longer if it is cooler and you pick them off the trees before they fall to the ground.

 
I made a fresh flower arrangement in an acid green oriental vase that was new about 5/6 years ago.  It is the perfect color for this grouping. I've used Nandina berries from my yard as well as Annabelle Hydrangeas. I seldom have to purchase greenery for an arrangement as I can just go outside and cut branches off various bushes nearly year round.

 
Seeing a stack of plates with this type of edge at an estate sale is what makes tablescapers' hearts beat faster as it can only mean Coalport. This dessert set was originally made for T. Goode & Co.'s London store.  I purchased them from a collector in Canada.

 
Instead of using these plates for dessert, I am using them for service plates at the beginning of the meal for an appetizer.  Because of their acid green color, I like starting out with them because they look so good with the vase, linens and Osage Oranges.

 
Here is a close up of the appetizer plate.  I am using the gold plated stainless by Ricci again - you've seen it many times - but I love how it looks with the gold edges of the plates.

  
Starting on the bottom, I am using Anna Weatherley chargers in the Iris colorway.  These are no longer being made. When they first came out in 2003, you could get them in three purple colors, Iris, Perriwinkle and Violet. 

 
Then these Anna Weatherley dinner plates in the Seascape Waterlily pattern.

 
Anna Weatherley is known for hand painting insects on her plates.

 
Here is one of the insects on the dinner plate.  I tried to take the lavender color from these Water Lilies and pull them out into the Iris chargers and the purple flowers in the fresh arrangement.

 
The dark green stemware I purchased maybe 15 years ago and I don't remember the maker or pattern name.  The tumbler has an acid green flash around the top. It is from Dillards several years ago and I don't think it had a pattern name.

 
And for bread plates, this Anna Weatherly pattern with the cute bug.

 
The tablecloth is from Zina Vasi in the Marion Jacquard pattern [Dillard's]. Napkins are Primrose Bordier Le Jacquard Francais that I already had which happen to be a perfect match.  That's a good thing since the Vasi napkins were all sold when I found the tablecloth on clearance.

 
The tablecloth has swallows flying around and butterflies along with daffodils and other flowers woven into the damask. The grasshopper metal napkin ring was found at Pier One about eight years ago but I have never used them until now.  I'm sure the grasshopper is looking for all those bugs.

 
Salad plates are rim soups in the Morning Glory pattern by Anna Weatherly. I love the Dragonflies on these. As I have mentioned many times before, rim soups are good for soup, salad and dessert. Great multi-purpose piece that allows me not to buy the salad or dessert plates.  See, Mr. Swede, I'm saving money honey!!

 
Here is a close up view of the hand painted Dragonfly.

 
Anna Weatherley china is hand painted in Hungary. There are men and women who specialize in certain types of painting.

 
I like using the rim soups for salad plates so they hold  more lettuce and the dressing doesn't run off the plate.  I think most manufacturers make salad plates too small.

 
For dessert plates, I am using these Portugese leaf and vine plates made by Bordallo Pinheiro Rainha.  Not a perfect green but I have to use what I have. I have owned them about 20 years.

 

Afterwards, I placed the centerpiece on the console table.

 
It will provide colorful beauty for another week to ten days if I maintain it.

 

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

To see all the entries, after 9:00PM Eastern on Wednesday, go here:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Seasonal Decor: Falling Into Autumn

 

Today's daily thing of beauty is this arrangement on my table.  Are you starting to get the feel of autumn? I'm having a hard time believing that summer is over.

 
Fall oranges of every hue.

 
I've started photographing a few fall things. Faux fruit and gourds by former Kentucky company Apple Annie.  I believe they were made of nut shells [pecan or walnut] and resin and are very real in weight, size and color.  Iridescent goblet by Hawaiian glass artist Rick Strini HERE in the Bella Iron Gold Pattern.

Best wishes,

Summer
Photo: Swede

 

Decor: Love of White

 

 

For lovers of white interiors, sometimes you have to feed your inner gray.

 
Pillow by Callisto Home HERE.  Chair faux painted by Swede in Paris Gray Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Best wishes,

Summer

Photo: Swede

Gardening with White: Autumn Surprise

 

Today's beauty captured is a white surprise.

My Tangerine Crossvine looked like it was covered in white buds but it blooms in the spring. I went out to investigate and found my arbor covered with Autumn Clematis.  I didn't plant it there.  Such a mystery. My neighbor has one on his fence about 25 feet away.  I don't think it came from his vine.  I've had this arbor for 13 years always having my Crossvine on it.

 
A tiny root of the vine must have been in the pot from the nursery when I planted the Crossvine.  It has taken this long to grow tall.

 
I welcome this kind of surprise.

 
Other white beauties in my yard this week includes this pot of White Dragonwing Begonias.  I plant annuals in big pots and put them in the flowerbeds where they won't grow in the ground due to bad soil, too much or too little water.  My big pots of Impatiens were eaten by deer last week so I can't show you those.

 
And, this white beauty. She has done well on her trellis by the garage door.  Tropical White Mandevilla.

It is almost time to think about big pots of Mums for the porches.  I probably can't find a white one.

All the best,

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Travel: Love Of The Old Buildings in Paris

 

You know I'm crazy about detailed architecture on the old buildings in Paris. I'm showing today a few of the photos Mr. Swede took on his visit to Paris last week.  He had a morning to walk around and take photos for me, however, it was sprinkling and you can see the sky is pretty dull in some of the shots.

 
 Everyone knows what this is.

 

 No explanation necessary.

 
This is the Dome des Invalides and surrounding gardens. It is the chapel as part of the barracks to house 4,000 war veterans in 1676.  Doesn't look bad for being 335 years old. Information about it is Here. 

 
Here are a few more photos of the domed building.

 
View from the street.

Now walking around to the other side of this complex you can see the military barracks buildings.

 
I don't know my world history enough to know who France was at war with in the 1600s.

 
These buildings are now museums.

 
French architects were really great about putting detail on their buildings. They sure liked putting statues on the rooftops.

 
A closer view of the top.

 
More statues on top of another pretty building. I sure hope they don't fall off.

 
These statues are on the ground.  The French are great at landscaping their public spaces.

 
Very pretty garden. Doesn't look like it suffered from the summer heat.

 
Another nearby church.

All for now. I'll show more Paris architecture in another post.

Have a great weekend.

Summer

Photos: Mr. Swede

 

Today's Daily Thing of Beauty

 

Today's thing of beauty is this succulent flower.  I planted a pot of various succulents this year but I overwatered them and a few died.

 
This small plant put out two long stems with this draping flower cluster on the end. The flower has lasted over two weeks.  I am enjoying its unusual shape.

 
I love finding such simply beautiful things in life.

 
I can't find the identification name tags that came with each plant to tell you what variety of plant this is. The one behind it with the wider leaves has not bloomed.

 
Just delightful.

 
The dusty blue-gray of the foliage is so nice with the pink flowers.

All the best,

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Tablescape: Staying Neutral

 

Today I am showing a casual table set with neutral colored elements.  This is an easy throw it together kind of table when you find out guests are arriving before you had time to do a lot of planning.

 
I run around the house and find things that don't have much color. Coral and seashells are good neutrals. And the candlesticks, you may remember I did a post on painting those gray/beige two weeks ago. I am also using two pieces of sea sponge that are a creme color.  

 
I borrowed the sea sponge from its place on the foyer console table.

 
I change out the display frequently. This is just what it looked like yesterday with the bird cage and my sample cabinet doors from a furniture painting class.

If you wanted more neutral beiges, you could use shells that did not have the peach tones in them.

 
Those seated on the backside of the table see this.

 
And this beige one.

 
I like pedestal bowls for their ability to get the centerpiece up off the tabletop. I always like a lift of some kind. The bowl has a fun logo on it which pulls out the off-white color of the Cat's Paw coral.

 
The center bowl is the same Medici pattern as the salad plates. I always debate how high off the table the centerpiece should be so guests can converse. I think they can see around these pieces okay.

 
I am starting with chargers made by French maker Niderviller. They are in the Grand Siecle Boston pattern. What I like about them is that they are 13" wide and lay very flat. Some of my chargers have a bowl effect and are deep so plates don't fit very well inside them. I love the wider width so I'm not compelled to use placemats which I find are generally made too small for today's larger plate sizes. Today's chargers at 12", 12.5" or 13" just swallow up the placemat and then there's no room for the rest of the placesetting. The Boston pattern is divited with a hammered look and a highly reflective glaze.

 
For dinner plates I am using Niderviller again but with their Grand Siecle Henri IV pattern which is odd shaped -- not round.  I love crowns, so when I saw these they just sucked me in. I was just about to order them when Mr. Swede and I were visiting Franklin, TN and went into the Registry china shop and the dinner plates and bread/butters were on sale for 50% off.  You know I couldn't walk out without them. I found the chargers later at another 50% off sale in New Jersey.  Guess you might say I "shopped around", ha-ha.

 
Here is a close up of the Henri IV design.

 
I'm serving the salad course in these wheat colored hand thrown Italian earthenware plates by Artimino in the Medici pattern. I like them not only for the cute symbol but they have an undulating shape which is very casual.

 
I like how the symbol designs play on each other.

 
Here's the cute little bread and butter. Notice the Niderviller moto at the bottom.  I am using butter knives from Sweden made by Nils Johan.

 
I don't have a full service in neutral mother of pearl flatware. I've never found sets of spoons. I purchased forks and knives at various antique shows. To fill in, I am using two patterns by Durgin. Chrysanthemum spoons on the right and Empire forks on the left. In this photo you can see more of the divit pattern of the charger and the little Niderviller logo at the bottom.

 
The neutral colors of the French Daniel Cremieux napkin are almost a perfect match to the plates. The Durgin Empire fork has a crown on the top of the handle.

 
For casual glassware, I'm using etched Zodax double old fashioneds for their pattern and the Edward pattern [my grandfather's name] goblet by Williams-Sonoma.

 
I'm using my neutral canvas tablecloth which is a standby for me since you can't harm it -- wash n' wear. Actually, I forgot to go upstairs and get my other beige damask one.  But this one will do just fine.

 
Here's the table overview before the salad course starts. I'm not using service plates for appetizers today as they are served in the kitchen.

 
For dessert, I am back to one of my favorite French porcelain makers, Jaune de Chrome again, this time using their Gypsies gold pattern.

 
Individual servings of crem`e brulee with fresh raspberries.

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday this week on the blog Between Naps on the Porch.

To see all the entries, after 9:00PM Eastern on Wednesday, go here:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

A Daily Thing of Beauty

 

 

One of the reasons I started blogging was to capture or create a thing of beauty each day.  Here is today's beauty captured:

 
I watched this orange butterfly flit all over the backyard this afternoon. Here it has landed on an Iris leaf.

 
It landed on an orange Zinnia but moved when I got close.  Would have looked great, don't you think?

 
Wish I could have captured it landing on the Zinnia.

 

It was a cool day. Almost a touch of Fall in the air.

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Gardening: Blackberry Lily

 

I'm leaving you with this sweet photo for the holiday weekend. Today's slice of beauty captures the Blackberry Lily which looks like an Orchid. But it is neither a Blackberry, Orchid nor Lily.  It is in the Iris family. Belamcanda chinensis - Iridaceae.  Just a slice of pure heaven. So easy to grow with no problems. The common name of Blackberry Lily comes from the seed pod which when opened looks like a ripe Blackberry. And those seeds make lots of new plants to love the next year.

 

 
So sweet.

 
This is the Blackberry looking seed pod that gives it its common name.

 

Everyone, have a fun but very safe holiday weekend.

Summer

Photo: Swede